Monday, October 22, 2012

My Halloween recipe for this year when Anney hosted her spooktacular ever witch-themed party yesterday is of course, the most easiest to make. Our annual Halloween party would be posted on her blog anytime soon. Much more cooler recipes on there, so brace yourselves.

"Tito, its a total ewwwwnessss!" my nieces screamed when I presented it. But I assure you, these tomatoes are edible, lol!

Here's what you need;

4 large tomatoes
2 pieces scrambled eggs (rare)
canned tuna
cheese

Here's how to prepare;

Cut the top part of your tomatoes and scoop the seeds inside. Carve jack o lantern on the tomatoes, set aside.

Make a rare scrambled eggs, make sure it would look like vomit when you stuff it inside the tomatoes.

Drain your canned tuna and reheat until dry.

Scrape your cheese using buko scraper so it would look like worms.

Place your tomatoes on a plate and stuff it with tuna, cheese and scrambled eggs.

Friday, October 19, 2012

After featuring Palaisdaan Restaurant in the province of Quezon, I'm going to bring your culinary curiosities to the Isdaan Restaurant in the historic Laguna province this time. Both of the restaurant names were rooted from the same word isda or "fish" but were managed by different owners. Although the menus were identical, serving Filipino dishes, Isdaan Floating Restaurant is larger and had an impressive fiesta atmosphere... and its where I'm going to choose to dine all over again to the billionth times.

The restaurant-slash-theme park has an Asian appeal. There are towering concrete sculpture of mermaids , gorillas, giant Buddhas, dinosaurs, and life-size replicas of the different Disney characters such as angry birds, incredible hulk and other super heroes that occupied our time (photo-shooting) while waiting for a cottage to be vacated. The kids had great time riding on bikes, swings and other fun rides.

Pinatolang Baka, Php 391

For starter, we ordered steamy Pinatolang Baka (beef stew and luffa). Peachy who for some odd reason doesn't eat Patola, tried it and she liked the soup but still vowed not to eat Patola at home unless it would be cooked as this one. For me, the soup delivered a promise of good gastronomical experience in this Filipino restaurant.

Marinated and Grilled Liempo, Php 292/half kg

Anney liked the familiar Marinated and Grilled Spareribs and Kinalabasang Hipon (shrimped in creamy squash puree). I agree with Anney, I also liked the tasty and fatty liempo (pork belly), who doesn't? lol! The fat was so soft that almost melts in my mouth and that's exactly the way I want it cooked.

Kinalabasang Hipon, Php 409

A humble but popular Filipino dish, Adobong Kangkong was meaty, its taste blends in perfectly with any of the fried seafood we've ordered such as mussels, squid, tilapia and crab. My Filipino taste buds meditated on the sensation it brought....hmmm.

Adobong Kangkong, Php 108

My first taste of Tacsyapong Gulay was remarkable. Although I could make it at home, it would be my utmost pleasure to travel 3 hours again to this restaurant just to untie the banana leaves and devour on the fresh vegetables with fish sauce.

Tacsyapong Gulay Php 106.50

Quite apart from the taste of the food though, I noticed that the presentation of the Filipino food was indigenous and I found it appetizing. The chicken was cooked in milky coconut, wrapped in banana leaves then grilled for a few minutes.

Manok sa Gata, Inihaw sa Dahon, Php 303

While dinning, we were entertained with cultural shows and serenaded with songs. The magic and acrobatic shows were blockbusters to my nieces. Dinners wont have time to be bored.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

If you want to scape the stress that the very busy Metro Manila brings and you feel like you want to experience the simple joys of the province without traveling too far, consider driving down south to Lucban, Quezon. And if you stuck in the middle of the provincial crossroads thinking where to eat, try Palaisdaan Restaurant. The Palaisdaan Restaurant is located in Brgy. Dapdap, Tayabas, Quezon Province, approximately 15-30 minutes ride from Lucban.

When we went to Lucban in Quezon province last summer to witness the
colorful Pahiyas Festival, Palaisdaan Restaurant was one of our
itineraries in our three days / 2 nights stay. Dependable Filipino cuisine, floating nipa hut on a bamboo raft, and provincial atmosphere, that's what you'll get when you dine in here.

Mixed Steamed Vegetables Php 50.00

Pork Sinigang is always a blockbuster not just for the kids in our family but for the grown ups too. Personally, I loved the mixed steamed veggies, it has a natural sweetness, probably home grown.

Sinugno Php 270.00

Sinugno, grilled Tilapia stewed in coconut milk with leafy vegetable is their bestseller but failed to please my humble taste buds because the Tilapia was so dry and so small.

Ginataang Suso with Pako Php

Ginataang Suso with Pako (snails with fern vegetable stewed in coconut milk) was what I liked most. That was my first time to try pako or fern vegetable and I loved it, the rich taste of snail blends perfectly with the veggie. Our only complain though, it gave us tough times in picking the meat inside.

Sisig Pusit Php 185.00

Although freshwater fish and veggies were dependable dishes, I discourage you from ordering seafood dishes. Maybe because its far from the sea, sea foods weren't fresh.

Grilled Tuna Php 70.00

Spend your lunch in this restaurant and you'll probably enjoy its
provincial feel but try another venue for your dinner because the open-space restaurant is dominated by mosquitoes at night.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

My Marinduque culinary escapade ended with this new segment "Foodiscovery". Fifteen days after, we went to Lucban in Quezon province to witness the colorful Pahiyas Festival and I'd like to start my food journey in the province with such an interesting street food I've encountered in the beautiful province.

The garlic-ky lucban longganisa is the famous delicacy and named after the municipality of Lucban. There are different producer of Lucban Longganisa, I've found the above picture in the "Tiange", a street market, but the well known producer is Eker and Ely located behind the Lucban Church. Dya notice that long line? We stand in line for like two hours just to purchase our pasalubong.

Not sure if the honey I bought was authentic. The local lady who sold it carry her basket with bee hive in it (for marketing purpose?) suggesting that the bottled ones were pure honey. Does anyone knew how to taste an authentic honey? I remember back in Palawan, my Nanay (mother) knew how to test it using match stick but I don't know how.

Pilipit - a delicacy not only found in Lucban but in entire Philippines, I would say so. This one looks bizarre, it was round and not Pilipit which is supposedly "twisted" which the delicacy derived its name from. Regardless, the taste still the same though.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

"Foodiscovery" is a new segment on this blog dedicated to interesting food and or local delicacy I stumble upon along my way. Here's my first entry; Arrowrroot Cookies and Saludsod.

Found in Boac Hotel in the province of Marinduque last summer, Arrowrroot Cookies a.k.a Uraro cookies is one of the province's specialties and are selling like hotcakes to local tourists for pasalubong. Meanwhile, we encountered the Saludsod in Marinduque's airport while waiting for our flight going back to Manila, another sweet, local delicacy in Marinduque.

Monday, October 8, 2012

If you plan to go to Bellaroca this coming holiday season, I suggest to spend a day or two in the province's capital, Boac. There are some interesting places to visit in the first class municipality such as old houses and the old Boac church ( I'll post it on my travel blog: Gest to Utopia ).

If you wonder where to stay, the only decent accommodation is the Boac Hotel. When you plan it, make sure that its not weekend when you arrive in the charming town so you could visit the museum and other government establishments. That was our mistake when we decided to stay for a day in Boac after our Bellaroca trip, most of the establishments were closed.

Beef Tapa Php 95.00

With nothing else to do, what do you think occupied our time? Of course, food tripping! Here are the spread of breakfast meals available in Cafe Ma'Mita, the in house restaurant in Boac Hotel. My CIL had Pandesal with bacon while me and Anney chose tapsilog. Peachy and Ykaie shared with pancake, bacon and egg.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

I think my clock never seemed so alive since I started posting my food journey in Bellarocca. Our "good time" moments are still strong in my memory after six months and made me think that I want to leave there for a billion years if given a chance.

After the short escape in the Greek-inspired island, we stayed at The
Boac Hotel in Marinque's Capital. It was way past lunch time when we
arrived in the first class town and hungrily looking for some place to
eat. The smiling staff told us that they have a restaurant in the hotel.
We checked-in quickly, left our luggage in our room and went to the hotel's restaurant
downstairs to have our super late lunch.

Ampalaya con Carne

The 'ol Filipino-inspired restaurant, Cafe Ma'Mita, is
fashioned in bright colors and decorated with vintage paraphernalia:
framed comics advertisement, old jar, classic record discs,
bottles,lamps, and posters of Filipino stars, the late Nida Blanca and
the Philippine movie icon of all time, Gloria Romero.We admired how quaint the washing area was. It is adorned with old kitchen equipments and the sink is made of battered old wok.

Sizzling Fish

'Twas almost two months since we deprived ourselves from pork and fatty food in preparation for the Bellaroca vacation. We let our self-controls vanished and we all agreed to order Crispy Pata when we saw it from the menu. It was crispy from the outside and juicy and tender inside... tasted real good good. But still, nothing beats Judy Anne's Crispy Pata in Malabon yet.

Fried Chicken

The sizzling fish, I knew from its taste, was fresh catch. Shrimp Sinigang with natural sweet vegetables was steaming when served. We also ordered Ampalaya con Carne to contrast the fatty dishes and lighten our guilt (lol). The breaded and fried chicken was for the princess, Ykaie.

Shrimp Sinigang

The whole spread wasn't expensive at all for the total of Php 835.00. It was indeed a retro dinning, serving old Filipino appeal not only from its vintage walls but from its kitchen.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Ya probably had enough of our Bellarocca food trip after my numerous entry about it. But wait, there's more! Promise, these breakfast meals are my last entry about our gastronomical journey in the Santorini-inspired island resort and spa.

Bacon, croissant, sausages, eggs, steak, tomatoes, hash browns, fruits PLUS panoramic view! not to mention of impeccable service, Bellaroca became close to my heart and I found it hard to leave. But you are right... I gotta move on.

The view of the nearby mountain hills occupied my thoughts while we were waiting for our chosen breakfast. Its majestic appeal makes it feel as if something exciting is just about to happen - and it does.

I chose American Breakfast Set that includes breads (danish, croissant
and a muffin), bacon, sausages, hash browns and two poached eggs.
Tasteful crispy bacon snatched my attention when it was served, it was a
perfect partner for my hash browns and breads.

Filipino Breakfast Set (Tapsilog), Php 780++

Anney had Filipino Breakfast Set of Tapsilog and Peachy of Tocino. Both
sets includes a slice of banana bread,1 pandesal and fresh fruits.

Filipino Breakfast Set - Tocino, Php 780++

My CIL Alvin, chose from the Western Set Menu which includes minute steak, two eggs, hashbrowns, coffee/tea/hot chocolate, chilled fruit juice or slices of fruits in season.

Western Set, Php 980++

The whole experience since day one served us satisfaction and delight. Quite apart from the food though, so much of the charm of The Clubhouse lies in its ambiance.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

What stopping me to feed you with my gastronomical journey in Bellaroca?

Quarter end. 'twas world war for me during those days. But now that I'm back, the saga in Bellaroca continues starting with our second day dinner at The Clubhouse. Please feel free to share.

--ooOoo--

On our first night, we had a private dinner at the comfort of our Terraza. We decided to avail Bellaroca's buffet dinner on the second night at the resort's Clubhouse.

Adjacent to the lobby, The Clubhouse decor is cool and contemporary. Nothing too fussy with an Al-fresco area offering a magnificent view of Mt. Malindig. We chose to dine indoors, a prime location to the buffet table for a tranquil yet intimate dining experience.

Gado Gado, Waldorf Salad, Native Seafood salad, Chicken Galantina

Bellaroca's Clubhouse offered us with home style cooking with dishes that we all know and love. Nothing too elaborate and just straightforward hearty, meaty, and sweet dishes.

From the all-time Filipino favorite lechon kawali and kare-kare to western waldrof salad, pasta napolitana, and chicken galantina to new found love, gado-gado, the menu serves up a mixture of different cuisines along with more Mediterranean dishes. The tasteful sun-dried tomato sauce on the Pasta Napolitana is what I love. I drizzled poured a huge amount of Parmesan cheese on it. Cheesy!

Pasta Napolitana

For a group of less faint-hearted like us, kare-kare is a must. The tripe of beef slices were slow-cooked to perfection, melts in your mouth, they said. It was stewed in thick peanut sauce with a variety of Philippine vegetables and salted with shrimp paste (on the side of my plate).

Kare Kare

For the finale, we had Fruit Tratlettes, Crepes Samurai, Mocca Roulade, Fruit Salad to round off the sweet and eventful evening (Check out my travel blog). Overall, Bellaroca's The Clubhouse offers honest and straightforward food that every discriminating taste will surely enjoy.